Tagged: cnn

A couple of days ago, we reported that Desmond Hatchett, father of 30 kids, was petitioning to have his child support reduced. The good folks at CNN have informed the world that Hatchett actually has only 24 kids, and he isn’t petitioning anything because he’s been in prison since 2009.

It’s always hard for us to cover unfunny news on 8BitDad, but our commitment to reporting on fatherhood compels us to share a terrible story about Josh Powell – a Washington father that has apparently set his house on fire on Sunday, killing himself and his two children. This comes years after his wife not-so-mysteriously disappeared.

This tough-to-read story starts in 2009, when Josh’s wife, Susan Cox-Powell, disappeared. Josh was a suspect in her disappearance, and immediately moved his children from their home in Utah to Washington. And even up to last month, police in Utah were still attempting to find Susan Cox-Powell.

If someone were to tell you that depressed parents make depressed kids, you’d think it’s more or less obvious. But fleshing out the reasons a kid turns out depressed makes things more complicated. In the past, mothers had been analyzed – but now science is looking toward fathers as well. Ya know, because in my experience, at least, it takes two to tango.

CNN reports about Michael Weitzman, a professor of pediatric medicine at New York University, and head honcho on a study that declares that it’s about time we look at fathers. Weitzman says that not only do fathers matter, but they matter “a lot.” Awww shucks – thanks Mikey!

Oren Adar and Mickey Ray Smith, a California same-sex couple, adopted a baby in his birth-state of Louisiana. A registrar in Louisiana named only one of the men on the baby’s (amended) birth certificate, which has gay advocacy groups up in arms over adoption policy when dealing with same-sex marriage. This last Tuesday, the Supreme denied Adar and Smith’s appeal without comment.

The couple argues that there are many practical and legal reasons for listing both Adar and Smith on the birth certificate. Social Security, taxes, inheritance, insurance, school registration, passports, as well as “parents’ and child’s right to make medical decisions for other family members at the necessary moments; determining custody, care, and support of the child in the event of a separation or divorce between the parents,” according to their appeal by Lambda Legal.

The Louisiana registrar that denied both mens’ names on the birth certificate, cited that, according to CNN, “the term ‘adoptive parents’ in the applicable section of state law applies only to married parents, because in Louisiana, only married couples may jointly adopt a child.”

You can read more on this topic at the CNN sauce below.

The baby was adopted in Louisiana in 2006 and the adoption was finalized in New York, where the couple was then-living. Though the birth certificate issue has ended in defeat for Adar and Smith, they do remain joint custodial parents of their now-5-year-old son.

Good luck to Adar and Smith – and all other same-sex couples dealing with similar battles.

Journalist, broadcaster and author, Cristina Odone, seems to think so. Odone says that since the rioters in London are primarily gang members, we can, as Harriet Sergeant had reported back in April, think of gang members as “youngsters without male role models.”

In that case, England is in trouble. One cannot simply just build a building or start a program that will end the threat. Fathers in England (and worldwide) need to involve themselves in their childrens’ lives if they aren’t already.

(Note: CNN says that Bryan & Braydon are from Kansas state, but all other articles on the internet are saying they’re from Kansas City, MO. We’re going with the rest of the internet on this one.)

A Chinook helicopter was shot down in Afghanistan over the weekend, and everyone keeps mentioning the 22 Navy SEALs killed in the tragedy. But Braydon Nichols, a 10 year old boy in Kansas, wants people to remember his father – the U.S. Army pilot of that helicopter.

The boy’s father, 31 year old Bryan Nichols, was a a chief warrant officer with Bravo Company, 7th Battalion, 155th Aviation Regiment. The boy sent a picture of his father, along with a short note, to CNN’s iReport, and within 24 hours, Braydon’s post was viewed 20,000 times.

It’s Saturday night, so you were likely just saying to yourself, “I wonder what the state of fatherhood in South Africa is.”

Well, here’s an exciting story we’ve been sitting on for 24 hours: CNN’s Robyn Curnow went to a women’s luncheon with one of South Africa’s cabinet ministers, Lulu Xingwana. The topic? The fatherhood crisis in South Africa.

Evidently, the nuclear family is in a state of disarray, and children are being raised primarily by mothers and grandmothers. Without a culture shift, a whole generation of children will essentially be raised fatherless.

Legislators say that solving issues with fathers will help crime and unemployment.

SI.com writer Jeff Pearlman has a really tough job. He’s a writer for Sports Illustrated, a contributor for CNN, a work-at-home-dad, and he’s the only, that’s right, ONLY father that’s taking care of children.

At least, according to his piece on CNN: “A Father’s Day Wish: Dads, Wake the Hell Up!”

Everything from this guy’s holier-than-thou tone to his smirky picture sings man-hate.

I mean, really – this guy actually starts one of his paragraphs out with “I envy you, but I sort of pity you.” Oh, well thank you, I think!